“The Ultimate Fighter” may not have worked out in Sam Alvey’s favor, but he could make up for all that on Friday night.

Sam Alvey (19-4) meets Maximum Fighting Championship middleweight champion Elvis Mutapcic (12-2) for the title at “MFC 36: Reality Check.” After the high hopes for him on Season 16 of “TUF” came up short, the Team Quest product might be able to truly put that in the past with a title fight victory.

The fight is the co -main event of MFC 36 at Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The main card airs on AXS TV with a headliner pitting Mukai Maromo vs. Graham Spencer for the promotion’s vacant lightweight title.

“I’m so excited about this matchup, with or without the title behind it,” Alvey on Tuesday told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “This is a fight I’ve dreamt of.”

Alvey was the first pick of coach Shane Carwin on “TUF 16″ after knocking out Leo Kuntz to get into the house. But in the opening round, he dropped a majority decision to Joey Rivera, and that was that. Unlike many seasons, where even fighters who lose in the house get a slot at the live finale, he and 11 other cast members were sent packing.

Still, before “TUF” started taping, Alvey had back-to-back first-round stoppage wins. His most recent three wins have all come in the first round, and two have been thanks to his hands (the third was from an injury to opponent Daniel Almeida).

Alvey also owns a more than respectable split decision win over recent Bellator title challenger Karl Amoussou in 2011. He’s no slouch, and he knows it.

“I’ve been rising through the ranks,” Alvey said. “I got onto ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. But prior to the show, I had three or four big KOs.”

Though he hasn’t seen live competition since his only taped “TUF” fight in late summer, Alvey said the work he does at Team Quest in California, run by Dan Henderson, keeps him in a constant state of readiness.

And he’s had a pair of high-profile training partners to work with of late, as well. Tarec Saffiedine became the final Strikeforce welterweight champ just this past month with a win over Nate Marquardt. And Henderson has been preparing for his UFC 157 co-main event against Lyoto Machida, which takes place next week.

He also has perhaps a secret weapon when it comes to fight preparation in the form of his wife, he said. And that may come in handy against Mutapcic, who is known for his fierce kicking attack.

“I’ve got to keep my hands up, and I’ve got to be willing to get kicked once or twice – it’s going to happen,” Alvey said. “My wife is a tactical genius when it comes to MMA. She’s found chinks in everyone’s armor. With her in my corner, I could fight Anderson Silva and find his weakness.”

But that said, Alvey knows what he has to be ready for, regardless of who’s giving him the advice.

“I’m expecting him to want to hit me,” he said. “He’s got a lot of 30-second or minute knockouts. I’m expecting him to hit me, but I think he’s going to try to keep me honest with some wrestling. He works with a lot of wrestlers, and I’ve got to be willing to sprawl.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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